THE 12th man. It’s the position on the teamsheet no footballer wants but on the final day of the Ryder Cup it is a very different story.

Just ask Graeme McDowell. Two years ago in Wales, the Ulsterman and Hunter Mahan went toe to toe in the final singles match of a momentous match-up between Europe and the USA with the winner taking all.

McDowell’s accent might be mid-Atlantic and he may live in Orlando but there’s no doubt which side of The Pond he belongs to and bringing the Ryder Cup home for Europe remains to this day every bit as much a highlight of his career as the US Open he won in the same year.

He didn’t flinch on that nerve-shredding Monday, the Welsh weather having extended the clash by 24 hours, and on the 17th green the American could take no more.

Mahan conceded the putt that means Europe arrived here in Chicago as holders of the trophy and two years on McDowell still rates that afternoon’s action as the most intense he has ever experienced. He said: “I can safely say I don’t think I can be more nervous on a golf course than I was that day for those last seven holes.

“From the 10th green onwards when I looked up at the giant scoreboard I did exactly what you’re not supposed to do as the 12th man and kind of did a quick calculation and realised I was going to probably be needed.

“Those last seven holes, I’ve never been so nervous in my life. You’re just trying not to mess up. You’re trying not to lose it for your teammates.

“You know, I could have 200,000 spectators watching me, but two of my teammates watching me, begging me to get the job done, there’s something intimidating and nerve-wracking about that.

“You look at your team-mates and you know how they feel. They feel helpless because there’s nothing more they can do. I guess their fate rests in your hands at that point.

“I sometimes go back and watch my little brother play amateur golf and try to qualify for certain events. It’s really stressful watching him play golf.

“I think that translates to The Ryder Cup – when it comes to actually watching your team-mates trying to win it’s a very helpless and a very stressful scenario.

“Coming down the stretch that day was some of the toughest golf I had ever played in my life and some of the most nerve-wracking golf. Myself and Hunter Mahan – someone was going to be the hero and someone was going to be the villain.

“Thankfully I was able to get the job done and it was one of the most amazing moments of my career just to be able to share that with 11 great team-mates.

“It was just really an honour to be the 12th man that day and to be able to get it done because it’s such a team effort.

“I think I certainly got more recognition for that Ryder Cup than I did for my US Open. There’s no doubt about that, certainly in Europe.

“The Ryder Cup’s become such a big deal. I think people love it as a spectacle.

“It’s such an amazing golf event and I think it was the first time in history it had ever gone down to the 12th match.

“It was fun to be able to do it and the aftermath at the 17th when everyone swamped that green, it was something like I’ve never seen in golf before and it was so cool to be a part of.

“Part of me would love that opportunity again. Part of me would hate it. I’ll take whatever comes.”

While McDowell continues to bask in the warm afterglow of that triumph, the Ryder Cup contains only painful memories for his team-mate Justin Rose.

The Englishman has made the team on only one occasion and tasted defeat.

Rose was part of Nick Faldo’s ill-fated crew at Valhalla four years ago and the heavy defeat inflicted upon the Europeans still hurts the 32-year-old who was unable to make the team that made amends at Celtic Manor.

But he’s back this time and admits the memory will provide all the motivation he needs over the weekend. Rose said: “I’d love to be part of a celebrating team on Sunday evening, to be part of the joys and the jumping around and the bouncing.

“What I’ve witnessed on TV over the years, I’d love to be a part of that. The Europeans have only had two losses since 1995 and one of them was when I played at Valhalla.

“Certainly I would like to rectify that because two years is a long wait to have the opportunity to do it again.

“I’ve got a couple of things I want to achieve in my career. One is to play on a home team Ryder Cup and the other is to obviously win The Ryder Cup. So we can take care of one of those this week.”

Rose knows it won’t be easy – not with the talent Davis Love has assembled on the other team. And not when they will be backed by a Chicago crowd who will be the most vociferous since Brookline in 1999 and we all know what happened there.

But neither Rose nor McDowell are too concerned about anything that goes on outside the ropes.

Rose added: “You have to expect the unexpected this week on all levels.

“You just have to expect noise, you have to expect roars going up from other parts of the golf course that might influence your pre shot routine.

“You have to try and be as resilient as you can out there. And if something crazy happens do your best to laugh it off.”